With the constant struggle between conflicting opinions in my country today, I have sadly had to grow used to hearing many statements which discriminate on the basis of sex. What is sad indeed is that all are made in the name of Islam. What I have a hard time comprehending, however, is how statements about female inferiority can be made by women themselves.
In a recent letter asking “for their Islamic rights,” 500 Saudi women wrote a letter to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah asking him to ignore all that is being written in the papers regarding “Western” rights for women. What the women objected to was the plan to open more jobs to women. They say that since Islam gives men the responsibility of supporting women financially, there is no need for women to work.
Moreover, they claim that the Qur’an orders women to stay at home in order to maintain family harmony. Family life and motherhood, they say, is what best suits a woman’s physical and psychological nature; it is, they said, “our real and natural job and what women have happily lived for since the age of the Prophet (peace be upon him) until today.” For these very reasons, they also ask that our school curriculum be rewritten in a way that is “harmonious with the nature of women, with a special focus on religious subjects, the Arabic language, home economics and motherhood.”
Another point which concerned them is that if women are allowed to work at all the different jobs being suggested — especially those where the working environment is not sexually segregated — then both men and women will be exposed to grave dangers. Hence, all ideas leading to mixing of the sexes should be rejected: “One of the main aims of Shariah is to protect one’s honor by prohibiting any action that leads to irregularity and if such prohibitions are not set, then religion is being assaulted.” This is also why they feel that women should not be allowed to drive since “if women are being sexually harassed in shopping centers, next to schools and in public places, then what will happen if — God forbid — women are allowed to drive?”
The 500 women further demand that all “Westernized” writings and ideas calling for equality between men and women be stopped. At the same time, they ironically ask that the media not be monopolized; what they mean is that religious scholars should be given a chance to reply to those asking for changes that will “shake the structure of our society.” In addition, the women want a separate ministry for women and their problems — though of course, they add that this ministry should be run by competent male religious scholars.
These are just some of the points addressed by the 500 women who emphasize that they reject all claims that the “Westernized minds calling for women’s rights today” represent the needs of Saudi women.
Having a claim to the same nationality, religion and gender, I assume that I have the right to comment on the above without being accused of being a Westernized mind speaking on behalf of a group I do not represent. As a Saudi woman, and one of many who are similarly-minded, I too ask for my Islamic rights.
I ask for my Islamic right to equality. God, in the Qur’an addresses me as a complete human being, created in the same way as man: “Mankind, reverence your guardian lord who created you from a single person, created of like nature, his mate” (Al Nisa, 1); ordered to comply by Islamic law in the same manner and promised the same reward or punishment for my actions: “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female, ye are members, one of another” (Al Imran, 195). How dare any human perceive me as inferior or limit my capabilities in an any way?
I ask for my Islamic right for equality in education. The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered all Muslims to seek knowledge. He did not limit certain fields to one sex or the other. Why should I be limited to religious and domestic subjects when Aisha was a scholar in fields as diverse as religion, poetry and medicine? Moreover, she taught and issued fatwas to both men and women.
I ask for wider vocational opportunities. Unlike what the letter alleges, women even during the Prophet’s age worked in jobs that we no longer work in today. Wasn’t Khadijah, his first wife, a businesswoman, buying, selling, and negotiating with men and women? His other wife, Zainab, worked making handicrafts and sold them. The Prophet’s aunt, Umm Munthur, sold dates in Okaz market. She was a Muslim then and the market was not segregated. Malika Umm Al-Saib was known as a seller of perfume to the Prophet himself. Atika bint Khaled had a tent near the Kaaba where she sold food and drinks to both men and women, just as restaurants do today. Women fought and nursed in wars alongside the Prophet. Women farmed and herded. If the list is limited in any way, it is because of the types of occupations available then — not because of Islamic restrictions. All jobs available to men then were also available to women.
Thus, no job should be denied to women in the name of Islam. Islam forbids an unrelated man and woman from being alone — yes; it does not, however, forbid men and women from mixing. If segregation were the norm, why were we not requested to be segregated in the Holy Mosque?
And to the 500 women, I say this: When you go to hospitals, don’t you ask to see women nurses, dentists and doctors? Who would you ask to see if those nurses, dentists and doctors embraced your interpretation of Islam and restricted themselves to certain fields or stayed at home?
Thus, I ask for my Islamic right to work in marketing, sales, catering, medicine, law, politics, engineering, fashion, the military or any other occupation which I might choose.
I ask that my Islamic rights to financial support, marriage, divorce, alimony, and child custody be translated from verbal theories into practical implications seen in our daily lives. I wonder if the 500 women have noticed that our system has absolutely no power to implement the Islamic rights we should have, including the right to financial support mentioned in their letter. And what if a man does not agree to support me, then what? Am I supposed to sit at home and wait for charity?
I ask for my Islamic rights to travel with any “mahram” and not just my legal guardian. I ask for my Islamic right to eat at a restaurant without a male chaperone. I ask for my Islamic right to drive and not be forced to ride alone with a non-mahram. I ask for my Islamic right to get medical treatment without male consent. I ask for my Islamic right to rent a house without male consent. I ask for my Islamic right to get an education and job without male consent.
And finally, as a Muslim, I ask for my right to choose. In any argument, a Muslim has the right to choose the interpretations he or she wants instead of being forced to go along with other people’s choices. Since I am speaking about women’s rights in particular, where are my rights to choose the interpretations I want regarding my hijab, for example? Whether to cover my face or not is open to several interpretations; and there is certainly no Islamic law that says I must wear black. Aisha said that when given two choices, the Prophet always chose the easier of the two so long as it was not sinful. Why am I being deprived of one of my greatest Islamic rights: To follow in the footsteps of the Prophet?
Freedom of choice is a right the 500 women have too. If they want to stay at home, limit themselves to certain fields of study, refuse to drive, or move only in segregated places then they are at liberty to do so. What they have no right to do, however, is to impose their views on all Muslim women. Nor do they have the right to speak on our behalf to the king.
(Mody Al-Khalaf is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)
